The absence of one of the world's major winter sports powers from the competition adds another stress for the hosts, who are already dealing with lackluster ticket sales in the shadow of the ongoing North Korea crisis.

Lee Hee-beom, President of the Pyeongchang Organizing Committee, said in a radio interview Tuesday he did not expect the International Olympic Committee (IOC) "to go this far."

"We plan to meet with the chairman of the IOC and deliver our message. The message that it's better to allow as many nations, as many athletes to compete," he told South Korea's CBS Radio.

Evgenia Medvedeva is one of several Russian athletes who indicated they may boycott the Games rather than compete as neutrals.

'Murder of our national sport'

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Under the IOC's ruling, which found Russia had engaged in "systemic manipulation" of anti-doping rules, "clean" sportspeople will be able to participate in the Games under the designation "Olympic Athlete from Russia" (OAR).

Lee said the organizing committee respects the IOC's decision, and that allowing Russians to compete in a personal capacity was the next best option, beyond full participation.

Evgenia Medvedeva, a two-time world figure-skating champion, told reporters after the IOC's decision that it was "too early" for her to decide whether she would take part.

Figure skating is one of the most popular Winter Olympics events, and the loss of Medvedeva -- widely tipped for a gold medal -- would be a major blow to fans.

In a speech to the IOC panel before the ruling came down, Medvedeva seemed to indicate she would not compete as a neutral athlete, saying she "could not accept" that option.

"I am proud of my country, it is a great honor for me to represent it at the Games," she said. "It gives strength and inspires me during the performances."

Medvedeva told panel members as a "clean" athlete she never dreamed she could be banned from the Olympics.

"In 2014, I was 14 years old. I had not even entered the adult national team of my country," she said. For me personally, Pyeongchang should be the first chance to plunge into the unique atmosphere of the Olympic Games. I do not understand why my Russian teammates and I can lose this chance."

Other Russian athletes have reacted similarly. According to state-run broadcaster RT, Irina Avvakumova, a member of the ski jumping team, said she "did not prepare for so many years just to go and compete without representing my country."

Figure skating trainer Tatiana Tarasova called the IOC's decision to ban the Russian team "the murder of our national sport."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said it would be a humiliation to compete without any national symbols.

Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

While the Olympics have traditionally been the realm of human competition, it appears robots are coming for next year's Games in South Korea. A humanoid bot, dubbed HUBO, received the iconic flame from Dr Dennis Hong in Daejeon on Monday 11 December 2017.

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

The iconic Olympic flame arrived in South Korea on Wedesday, November 1, signaling 100 days to go until the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games.

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

From ancient Olympia to the icy slopes of PyeongChang, the flame travels thousands of miles over the course of its journey.

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

Initially derived from the sun's rays in a parabolic mirror, the flame starts its epic journey at the Temple of Hera, site of the Olympic Games in ancient times.

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

Greek cross-country skier Apostolos Angelis had the honor of being the first official torchbearer on this occasion. Here he also holds an olive tree branch as a symbol of peace.

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

Angelis passed the torch to former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung, the most decorated Asian footballer in history and a South Korean icon.

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

Park believes that North Korea's participation in the Games would send a positive message, telling CNN Sport in September: "We have a tricky relationship between both countries, so if they participate that means a lot to our country as well."

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

A succession of torchbearers carried the flame to the top of Acropolis Hill, where Greek gymnast Dimosthenis Tampakos (Olympic champion in the rings at Athens 2004) illuminated the columns of the Parthenon.

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

After completing a week-long tour of Greece, the flame was officially passed to the PyeongChang organizing committee at a handover ceremony. Greek Alpine skier Ioannis Proios is shown holding the torch at the ceremony in Athens' Panathenaic Stadium on October 31, 2017.

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

It touched down at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, in the safe hands of former figure skating champion Yuna Kim (R) and South Korea's Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister, Do Jong-Hwan.

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Lee Nak-yon, then lit the cauldron to signal the start of the Olympic flame's journey to PyeongChang 2018.

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The honor of being the first to carry the Olympic flame on home soil fell to 13-year-old figure skating prodigy You Young.

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

Just 11 years old when she won her first national championships title in 2015, the teenager said: "It is my dream to represent my country at an Olympic Winter Games and I am working hard to make that dream a reality very soon."

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Photos:Olympia to PyeongChang

A ceremony to mark the flame's arrival featured K-pop sensation Taeyang, an honorary ambassador for next year's Winter Games.

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The Olympic Flame will be exchanged by 7,500 torchbearers over the coming months days as it makes its journey around the Republic of Korea.

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Tourist figures down

Whether a handful of Russian athletes compete as neutrals or none at all, Russians won't be watching the Games at home, with the All-Russia State Broadcasting Company saying it will not carry the Games without a Russian team.

Organizers are also likely concerned about a drop in Russian spectators in the stands. According to statistics from the Korea Tourist Organization (KTO), around 18,000 Russian tourists visited South Korea in October, more than any other non-Asian nation except for the US and almost 10,000 more than the next European country.

Russia hosted the last Winter Olympics, at Sochi in 2014, a competition which "restored Russia's status as a leading winter sports nation," according to a 2015 IOC report, and many could have been expected to attend next year's event.

The loss of Russian spectators at the Games could be a big blow to the Winter Olympics, which have typically attracted fewer attendees than the Summer Games.

Lagging ticket sales for the Pyeongchang Games appeared to improve in November, hitting 52%, slightly better than Sochi at the same period.

Organizers told CNN they had seen a spike in domestic sales after a concert to promote 100 days until the Games, and the subsequent torch relay.

Tourism to South Korea has already been negatively impacted by ongoing tensions with North Korea, which have cast a shadow over the Games, with most of the venues situated just 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the border and tensions with Pyongyang dominating coverage of the country in a key period for Olympics marketing.